


Cry With You

by Deansbaby



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Destiel - Freeform, Doctor Castiel, Emotional, F/M, Fluff, Gay Love, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Smut, Supernatural - Freeform, Trajedy, Trauma, cannon gay relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-03-25 12:27:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3810376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deansbaby/pseuds/Deansbaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Castiel, straight A student and aspiring doctor, met Dean Winchester, the mechanic, one morning before school, he had no idea what was to come. That morning, a fire started in their lives. From then on out, it was a constant web of arguing and anger, and love and passion. This is the story of how a doctor met a mechanic and they taught each other what it meant to live.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Destiel fanfic so I don't know how it will go  
> Please leave comments and advice for me  
> If you like it, please let me know and if you don't like it please tell me why :)
> 
> First chapter is a little short cause I'm just trying to get it going

"Dad, this car is beyond fixing," Castiel tried to reason with his father, who was trying to convince him to take his hunk of metal to get fixed after it had broken down for the 6th time. Chuck shook his head as Castiel's remark.

"I believe it can be saved. We can't afford to buy you a new car right now, not while paying for Michael's law school and Gabe's culinary school..." His voice trailed off. Castiel knew money was tight right now with two of his brothers in college. So, he sighed, took the keys from his dad, and finally managed to get the junker started after a few minutes before taking it to the new repair shop a few minutes away. 

He managed to reach the shop without incident and got out of the car with a relieved sigh. He wandered up to the garage where he found two feet sticking out from underneath a car.

"Um, excuse me? I, uh, need my car fixed," Castiel tried to get the man's attention. 

"Sorry, give me a minute," a deep voice called out from under the car. Castiel huffed and waited for him to be finished. At that rate, he was never going to make it to school on time. 

Finally, the guy slid out from beneath the car and walked over to him. Castiel's heart nearly leaped out of his chest at the sight of the mechanic. His eyes instantly dropped to his name tag which read "Dean". 

"So, what can I do for you?" Dean asked Castiel while putting away his tools. Castiel hesitated for a moment before answering, afraid that if he opened his mouth Dean would be able to hear his heart beating.

"My car broke down again. I need you to fix it please," Castiel told him, trying to tear his eyes away from the man's exposed biceps. Dean chuckled lightly before responding.

"Well, I figured that much. Let's go take a look at the car," Dean said with a smile, motioning for Castiel to lead the way. He showed Dean the broken down car with a little bit of embarrassment. Dean jokingly whistled with a grin on his face when he saw it. 

"Alright, well if you're dead set on fixing this instead of scrapping it and getting a new one, I'll need to keep this here for a few days. You'll just need to fill out some paperwork in my office," Dean said, examining the car. Castiel frowned in agitation. He was definitely going to be late. "What's the matter with you?" Dean asked.

"I'm going to be late for school so can we please hurry this up?" Dean tried but failed to hold in a laugh when Castiel responded.

"I'm sorry, but seriously? You're one of those nerds?" Dean joked. Castiel's anger rose at Dean's amusement and he balled his fists at his sides.

"Well I'm sorry if I want to get a good education so I can be a doctor and save lives while you waste away your life fixing cars and getting drunk!"

"Who says I get drunk?" Dean asked, still amused despite Castiel's outburst. 

"You look the type. It's pretty obvious. Anyway, since I'm too nerdy for you I'll just take my car somewhere else," Castiel began stomping back towards his car, hoping it would start so he didn't make a fool out of himself in front of Dean. What right did Dean have to call him a nerd? He barely knew him. Sure, Castiel studied a lot and got good grades and cared a lot about school... But that just meant he wanted to be successful, which is more than he could say for Dean.

"Hey, that car isn't even gonna start," Dean called, practically reading Castiel's mind. "Look, I'm sorry, I'll try to hurry this along so you won't be late."

Castiel knew Dean was right. So, he swallowed his pride and whipped back around to face Dean. With his face set in an angry frown, he marched past Dean to the little office room he could see at the back of the garage. He could hear Dean following him with a chuckle as Castiel opened the office door and sat down stiffly in the small wooden chair in front of the desk. Dean walked in right behind him and sat down behind the desk, shuffling around for some papers. Eventually, he found what he was looking for and handed Castiel a few papers to read over and sign. 

"Alright, looks like we're done here. You're free to go," Dean said with a pleasant smile as he filed away all the paperwork. He stood and held his hand out to Castiel. He shook it quickly and stiffly before briskly walking out of the office and out of the garage. Only when he reached the spot where his car was parked did he realize he had a problem. He had no car to drive to school in. He mentally went through a list of anyone who could come pick him up. Gabriel and Michael: away at college. Anna: already at school. Dad: at work. Lucifer: God knows where he is. Castiel realized he was fresh out of options. He stood next to the useless piece of junk, contemplating his next course of action. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that he had only one option if he wanted to make it by first bell and he was going to go through with it, no matter how displeasing and unappealing said option might be. 

Castiel quietly tapped on Dean's office door as he debated with himself over whether or not it was a good idea. As Dean opened the door with a somewhat surprised look on his face, Castiel decided "pride be damned" and carried out his plan. 

"Here's the thing, I don't have a way to get to school... Is there a car I could borrow for the day? I promise I'll return it as soon as possible," Castiel felt pathetic sitting here asking Dean for help but he knew it was the only way. In his entire four years of high school, Castiel had never been late and he wasn't starting today. 

"I don't have any extra working cars around here..." Dean responded apologetically. Castiel's shoulder's slumped in disappointment. "But," Dean continued, "I could give you a ride if you want," Castiel lit up.

"That would be very much appreciated. Thank you," Castiel answered happily as he began following Dean to where his car was parked behind the garage. For some unknown reason, this nagging feeling of happiness to be taking a ride with Dean kept making Castiel's stomach erupt in a thousand little butterflies. It felt like they were having a party in there. Castiel quickly pushed the thought away and caged the butterfly. He regathered his common sense and got in the passenger side of Dean's 1967 Chevy Impala with a completely normal and not-erratically-beating heart rate. "I'm Castiel by the way," he introduced himself. 

"I'm Dean Winchester." 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas has to deal with curious friends when he almost doesn't make it to school on time, which is totally unlike him. Jo accuses him of having feelings for Dean and Cas tries to deny his feelings to her and himself

10 minutes later, Dean whipped the impala into the high school parking lot as Castiel gathered his things. He had approximately 4 minutes to get to his locker, unpack, and make it to first period by the bell. He whipped the door open, offered a quick "thank you so much!" to Dean, and took off towards the school.

-

"Geez, Castiel, we didn't think you were gonna make it!" His friend, Charlie, exclaimed when he practically fell into his seat in AP biology as the bell rang, completely out of breathe. He looked around the table to see his friends Jo, Kevin, and Balthazar also staring at him, looking slightly shocked that he came that close to being late. He gave them all a look that said "don't even think about asking right now" and looked away to pull out his notes and pencil.

Castiel was on the edge of his seat the entire class. He was in his element here. And, despite the looks of amusement from his friends as he feverishly and enthusiastically took notes, he was comfortable being here. Much more comfortable than he had been at the auto shop with Dean earlier. This is what he was good at. Here, everything was based on fact and logic, not feelings. Here, Dean's bright green eyes didn't matter. 

-

"Castiel! Wait up!" His friend Jo called from down the hall. He turned around to see her small frame bounding towards him with her loose blond curls bouncing behind her. As she ran up to him, one of the football plays gathered around their lockers whistled at Jo. She turned around and flashed an innocent grin. Then she dropped her fake smile and flipped him off.

"Whistle at me again and you won't be able to whistle anymore," she said before turning her back on him. One thing you should know about Jo, is she isn't a girl you want to mess with. "Boys," she said to him, rolling her eyes. He laughed and hooked arms with her as they walked to English class, which was not his favorite class, but at least he had it with Jo.

When they sat down in English, Jo turned to face Castiel.

"What's up with you today? You seem off," Jo asked with concern written across her face. He sighed and decided it couldn't do any harm to tell her about his morning, so he did. 

When he was finished, she just kept staring at him. 

"Say something," he demanded.

"You met Dean?" Castiel nodded, slightly confused at her reaction. "How did you like him?"

"Yes, I did and he was ok I guess, kind of an ass but I don't know I don't hate him," He tried to awkwardly explain. He was trying to be casual about it but he had the feeling that the blush rising in his cheeks were giving him away. Next thing he knew, Jo was sitting next to him squealing excitedly. 

"OH MY GOSH! I know Dean! His last name's Winchester, he and his brother are, like, really close family friends! And oh my god you sooo like him! It's obvious!" 

"JO! Shush! Calm down!" Castiel tried to rein in the excited blonde and get her to quiet down. She apologized, but the smile still stayed on her lips. 

For the rest of glass, Jo kept sneaking glances at him and smiling. Castiel did his best to ignore her, but every time she gave him that look that said "I CANT BELIEVE YOU LIKE DEAN" he was reminded of the sweaty mechanic and his smirk that did all sorts of things to Castiel's insides and he lost all focus again.

After English ended, Castiel watched as Jo rushed out of the class laughing, trying to avoid him. Castiel laughed and ran to catch up to her. Jo could be tough, but once you got to know her she kind of acted like a blonde, hyperactive puppy. 

"Jo! Wait up!" Castiel called down the hall, practically tripping over his own feet due to his lack of coordination. Finally, she slowed to a walk waited for him against the wall near the end of the hall. 

"So, are you going to admit your severe crush on a certain Mr. Dean Winchester or am I just going to have to torture it out of you?" Jo asked Castiel when he finally caught up to her. 

"I choose option C: I tell you nothing and you shut up about it," Castiel replied grumpily. How could Jo possibly know if he had feelings towards Dean when he himself couldn't figure it out. 

"Awww why so pouty, Cassie?" Balthazar teased as he walked up to join them.

"CASTIEL LI-" Castiel quickly shut Jo up before she announced it to the whole hallway by covering her mouth with his hand. He shot Jo a glare before turning to find Balthazar, who was currently smirking at him with a mischievous look in his eye. 

"Balthazar, don't." Castiel warned his friend. 

"Oh Cassie, why ever would you keep a secret from me? You know I'll just find out," Balthazar said with a laugh. And of course he was right, Castiel knew he wouldn't be able to keep Jo's mouth shut for long. Although, there wasn't really any big secret. Jo thought he had a crush on Dean but he didn't. So really, what was he hiding? If there was no truth to what Jo was saying, then why was he so worried about his friends finding out? These questions swirled around in Castiel's as the three of them walked to their second period class, AP calculus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter finally!  
> please let me know what you think!  
> -  
> P.s. I'm a mess cause of last nights episode. How come everyone who is ever inducted into he Winchester family has to die? How come Charlie is dead but metadouche is still breathing?


	3. Chapter 3

"So," Charlie said as she threw her lunch down in between Kevin and Charlie, "what's this about Castiel having a crush on Jo's man-candy mechanic buddy?" Apparently Jo had spread the word around. Castiel groaned and turned to glare at Jo who was sitting across from him giggling like a 5 year old.

"Now I feel left out of the loop! Who does our little virgin friend, Castiel, like?" Kevin teased from the other side of Charlie.

"Hey, you're one to talk about being a virgin Mr. I've-Never-Even-Kissed-A-Girl," Castiel shot back. 

"Shut up..." Kevin grumbled, causing everyone to laugh at him. 

"Alright guys, my lips are sealed off to any additional information. Mostly because I have no more information to give. It's up to Castiel to give us details," Jo said, looking at him eagerly along with the rest of the group.

"Look guys, there's nothing to tell. I went to get my car fixed, met Dean, he made fun of me, we argued, I needed a ride to school, he drove me, then he left. The end." Castiel explained. He looked around the table to see dropped jaws staring at him.

"HE DROVE YOU TO SCHOOL?!" Jo screamed. Castiel had forgotten that he hadn't mentioned to his friends about the ride. 

"Oh... Uh... Yeah. I realized after I dropped my car off that I had no way to get to school. So he offered to drive me. It's no big deal," Castiel said awkwardly, shifting in his seat under the wide-eyed stares of his friends.

"CASTIEL!" Jo yelled at him again whilst punching his arm.

"What was that for?!" Castiel questioned his best friend, rubbing his sore arm.

"How could you not tell me?!" Jo groaned, clearly frustrated with Castiel's inability to properly inform her of all the goings on of his morning with Dean.

"Sorry! I didn't think it was important!" 

"CASTIEEELLL! That's so important! Dean let you ride in Baby the first day he met you! That is huge. He definitely likes you. I'm so questioning him tonight," 

"No, no you're not going to question him. And who's baby?" Castiel asked, confused and also slightly scared of what Jo was going to do. He's know this girl since they were 4, he knew she wasn't going to let it go and was probably going to try to take matters into her own hands.

"Baby is Dean's Impala, he's like, in love with it, it's kinda creepy," Jo said, taking a bite of her sandwich for the first time since they sat down.

"Thanks, that clears that up, but you didn't address the you NOT saying anything to Dean and dropping it part," Castiel said. Jo rolled her eyes and took another bite of her sandwich. "I'm serious, Jo, please don't."

"You realize you're making yourself look even more suspicious by freaking out about this," Charlie teased.

"I am not freaking out," Castiel grumbled, poking at his salad. Why couldn't they just drop the subject?

"Oh would you all leave poor Cassie alone," Balthazar demanded sympathetically.

"Thank you, Balthazar," He said with satisfaction in his voice, at least someone was on his side today.

"If he doesn't want to talk about his raging crush on Jo's mechanic buddy he doesn't have to," Balthazar followed up with a smirk. Castiel groaned and got up from the table.

"I'm leaving. You all are abusive," he said, grabbing his lunch. As he walked away he could still hear them laughing.

-

"Shit," Castiel mumbled to himself at the end of the day when he remembered he didn't have his car. He stood there for a second chewing the inside of his cheek. All of his friends had already left for the day. He pulled out his phone and dialed Anna's number. She should have already been home from her fancy private school.

"Hey Castiel, what's up?!" Anna said enthusiastically into the phone. She's always so cheery, sometimes it's exhausting. 

"Hey, um, I'm at school without a car... Could you come get me?" 

"Uh... I'm not exactly home right now..." Anna said hesitantly.

"What do you mean? Your school ended an hour ago,"

"Okay look, I went out with some friends. It's no big deal, okay? Just don't tell dad," Anna pleaded, trying to sound innocent.

"If it's no big deal, then why can't I tell them?" Castiel questioned his sister skeptically. 

"It's nothing. Sorry, I can't pick you up. Gotta go," Castiel sighed as he heard the click signaling Anna had hung up on him. He was supposed to be going to Jo's house with everyone else so he figured he could just call Jo to come back and get him.

"Hey, Jo. I need a ride. Can you come pick me up?" He asked through the phone. He could hear the laughter of his friends in the background and he longed to be there with them. He also took notice of how much fun they seemed to be having without him there.

"What?! Everyone shut up!" Jo yelled over the noise.

"I'm stuck at school. My car is still at Dean's shop. I need you to come get me," Castiel answered her. There was a momentary pause before he hear Jo's voice again.

"Uh, yeah, be there soon," She said suspiciously before hanging up on him.

Castiel sighed and sat down on one of the uncomfortable metal benches presiding in front of the school. As he awaited the sight of Jo's rusty old pick up truck to turn into the school, he heard footsteps come up behind him.

"Hey there, Clarence," Meg's voice purred in his ear. He whipped around to face her.

"Meg, what are you doing here still?" He asked the short brunette who, even though he was sitting down and she wasn't, was still almost at eye level with him.

"Had some business to take care of with some teachers. And when I saw you sitting over here all on your lonesome I couldn't resist providing you with some company," She said as she sat down next to him. As Castiel scrambled for an excuse to leave, he saw a familiar car pulling into the school, but it wasn't Jo's. He immediately knew what Jo had done and she was going to get it when he got to her house. He watched as the impala got closer and closer and decided that getting in that car was a better option then sitting here with Meg. 

"Oh, it looks like my ride's here. See you on Monday Meg," Castiel said awkwardly as he gathered up his things and hastily made his way to Dean's car. He pulled open the door and, even though it was against his better judgement, hopped in the passenger side.

"Why did Jo send you?" Castiel asked as soon as Dean started to pull out of the parking lot.

"She said you needed a ride to her house and since I was going there anyway it would be easier for me to just pick you up instead of her driving back out to get you. What's got your boxers in a bunch? You're rockin the whole moody teenager vibe," Dean said, smirking, without taking his eyes off the road. 

"I shouldn't have gotten in your stupid car with you," Castiel grumbled. 

"Then why did you?" Dean asked, amused at Castiel's discomfort. 

"I wanted to get away from Meg and you were my best option."

"That hot brunette that was hangin' all over you? Why would you wanna get away from that?" Dean whistled.

"I wasn't interested..." Castiel mumbled. No way was he going to tell Dean his personal preferences.

"Hey man, it's none of my business, but you could definitely do worse. That's all I'm saying," 

"Yeah, okay, just take me to Jo's please," Castiel said stiffly, wishing for Dean to drop the subject. To his surprise, Dean did drop it and the rest of the ride to Jo's was silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3!  
> Working on making my chapters longer.  
> Please leave comments (good or bad) and let me know what you think


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4th chapter finally  
> Any tips, advice, and criticism is appreciated!  
> Thanks for reading :)

"We're here!" Dean announced as he and Castiel stepped in through Jo's front door, Dean carrying a paper bag full of liquor and Castiel fumbling around awkwardly with his backpack straps. Dean headed straight to the kitchen and set the bag down on the Harvelle's old wooden table which Castiel was surprised could even support the weight of the drinks. As he did so, Castiel couldn't help but to (once again) notice Dean's arms as he carried the alcohol. He found himself staring intently at the biceps that made his arms look like they belonged on a child and willing his eyes to advert to the lovely green walls of the Harvelle's kitchen 

"Hey you!" Ellen, Jo's mom, said to Dean, wrapping him in a motherly hug. 

"Hey Ellen, how you been?" Dean asked, returning her hug.

"I'm gettin' by, how bout yourself?" 

"Same as you. Been trying to keep up with Sammy's college bills but it's not like the shop is crawling with customers. I just want him to be able to do this, you know? He's so smart, and he's worked really hard to get where he is and I just want to help him," Dean told Ellen, who nodded in understanding. He said it casually but Castiel could hear the underlying defeat in his voice. The sparkling green eyes he had seen earlier today now lacked the light, replacing it with dullness and emptiness. He remembered his threat to take his car somewhere else and suddenly felt kind of bad about that. Clearly Dean needed the business in order to support who ever "Sammy" was. 

"Hey, Castiel! Didn't even see you there!" Ellen said, interrupting his thoughts. 

"Hello, Ellen," Castiel said, smiling. Ellen has been the closest thing he's had to a mother figure since he met Jo in kindergarten. She pretty much included Castiel in as part of the family and he was really grateful for that. 

"You haven't been around lately! What have you been up to?" Ellen asked.

"School's been a bit overwhelming lately so I've been pretty busy. Don't worry, I'll try to make it out here more often," 

"That's my Castiel. Go on ahead down stairs, the gang is down there doing God knows what," Ellen said with a smile while pulling the various alcoholic beverages Dean brought over out of the bag. Castiel nodded and turned to walk to the basement. He dropped his bag on a chair before opening the old, creaky wooden door to the basement. The scene he saw when he finished descending the stairs was one he was not expecting. 

The twister mat was laid out on the floor and on top of it was a mess of limbs that some how, if untangled, made up Jo, Charlie, Kevin, and Balthazar. Charlie was the first to look up and see him.

"Sup Castiel?!" She shouted. She lifted up a hand to wave which simultaneously hit Kevin in the face, causing him to fall. This knocked over Balthazar who fell on top of a flattened Jo. The only one left unharmed seemed to be Charlie. 

"Jesus, Charlie!" Jo groaned from underneath Balthazar. Castiel laughed at his heap of friends and sat himself down on the couch while the others untangled themselves. Once they were all standing upright, Jo came over and plopped down next to him, tucking her feet up underneath herself. 

"So, ready to thank me?" She asked enthusiastically, oblivious to Castiel's glare. 

"No, I'm not ready to thank you. Because I am not grateful for what you did," Castiel told her. Her enthusiasm faltered for a moment before she recomposed it. 

"What do you mean? I thought you'd love to get a ride home with him! And it was a lot easier because he was driving by the school anyway," Jo said, taking a sip of her Pepsi. 

"Well, I didn't love it. At all, actually. I understand you think you're being helpful but you're not so please stop trying to push Dean and I together," he pleaded with Jo, unaware of the footsteps that had just finished padding down the wooden stairs.

"Who's Jo trying to set me up with this time?" Castiel turned towards Dean's joking voice that was entering the basement. Dean smirked when he caught Castiel's eye and sat down on the chair facing the couch. Castiel's eyes were instantly drawn to Dean's jawline as he rubbed his hand across the slight stubble on his chin. Jo grinned and glanced back and forth between the two of them. In turn, Dean looked back and forth between Jo and Castiel. Castiel awkwardly sat there between them, trying to sink deeper into the couch to hide himself from not only Dean and Jo's stares, but also the stares of all his other friends who had untangled themselves and we're now joining in on the "Staring at Castiel" party.

After a few moments of the questioning gazes from his friends and Dean's smug I-Know-I'm-Gorgeous smirk, Castiel cleared his throat and stood up.

"I, uh, have to pee... Be right back..." As Castiel turned towards the stairs, he cringed at his lame excuse. When he reached the main floor, he ventured into the kitchen to where Ellen was leaning over the counter making sandwiches for them.

"Need any help?" Castiel asked her, wanting to find any excuse to avoid going back downstairs.

"Nah, go hang out with your friends. Have fun, Castiel. You deserve it," Ellen replied, taking a break in her sandwich making to look at him.

"Yeah, I guess... Can you just pretend you need my help though? Because I don't want to go back down there," Ellen gave him a questioning look. "It's just awkward. Jo seems to think that Dean and I like each other even though we don't and it's making everything really uncomfortable," Castiel explained. A smile grew across Ellen's face.

"You know, my baby is pretty good at telling when people have something between them. She's the one who first put the idea in my head that Bobby and I had somethin'," Ellen's smile grew as she thought of Bobby Singer. Castiel had met Bobby a few times at family dinners and such. 

"Wait so you agree with Jo?" Castiel asked, a bit angry at Ellen for siding with her daughter. He wasn't sure why he was angry, but it just bothered him.

"I'm not saying I agree with anyone. I'm just saying, if she thinks there's something there, you shouldn't be so quick to dismiss the idea. Besides, you could do worse then Dean Winchester, much worse," Ellen told him, returning to her sandwich making. Castiel just sighed and slumped against the counter with a billion thoughts swimming around in his over crowded head.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I heard Gabe is gonna be coming home tonight. That true?" The fact that his brother was coming back for a few days had almost slipped Castiel's mind with all the Dean drama going on today. Gabriel and Castiel had always been the closest. After Luke left, Michael wasn't the same. He threw himself into studying to get into law school and basically shut out everything else. Anna and him used to be close but she's become so distant lately. Gabriel was the one who was always there for Castiel. Despite the teasing that constantly took place between the brothers, they both knew that when it came down to it, they had each other's backs. Gabriel was the one who gave dating and romance advice (and also cooking tips), while Castiel's role has always been the smart one. Together, they balanced each other out. 

The reminder that his brother was coming home cleared Castiel's head a bit and calmed his nerves about Dean. But that mechanic still stuck around in the back of his mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments, tips, and advice :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!

After a few more hours of hanging out at Jo's, Castiel decided he should probably start heading home so he would be there when Gabriel arrived. He and his friends had just finished their 6th round of twister (which Castiel won) and Dean was upstairs with Ellen, as he had been most of the night. He hugged everyone goodbye and then walked upstairs to the kitchen to say goodbye to Ellen.

"I'm going to go, Gabe should be home soon. Goodbye, Ellen," Castiel said. Ellen smiled and pulled him into a hug.

"Get on home and see your brother, Castiel. Tell him I say 'hi'. And, Castiel, don't be a stranger," Castiel grinned.

"I'll be back soon, promise," Castiel was about to leave the kitchen when Dean stepped in front of him and blocked the exit.

"Can I help you?" Castiel impatiently asked a smirking Dean.

"I don't get a goodbye?" Dean teased. Castiel rolled his eyes.

"Goodbye, Dean," Castiel glared at him, as he still refused to move. He and Dean were standing so close he could feel the heat radiating off of Dean and feel his breath.

"Ellen got a hug, I want a hug," Dean stated. Castiel tried to control his heart rate as Dean leaned in closer and wrapped his arms around him. Dean's frame towered over Castiel's own, causing Castiel's head to be resting on Dean's chest. It wasn't a long hug, but while Dean had his arms around him, Castiel forgot that Ellen was also in the kitchen. After a moment, Dean let go and stepped away from the doorway. Castiel muttered another goodbye to Ellen and then began hurrying out of the house, trying to calm himself down. As he passed the basement door, he saw Jo watching him with a smug smile plastered on her face.

Castiel stepped outside the house with his heart racing. Why had Dean hugged him? What did it mean that Dean hugged him? Why was it making his heart beat out of his chest? These questions invaded Castiel's mind as he made the 20 minute walk from the Harvelle's house to his own. When he reached the brick house where he had grown up, he stopped and stared at it for a moment. It looked the same as it had the day they moved in, but everything about it was different. Michael and Gabe were away, Luke was gone, and Anna was slowly slipping away. All that was left was Castiel and his father, who Castiel could still barely look in the eye. 

Even as he was turning the knob, something felt off; and it wasn't just the normal emptiness he now felt when he was in there. He paused for a moment, hesitant about entering, and then sighed at his own ridiculousness and stepped into the house, expecting to find Anna and his dad in the kitchen waiting for Gabriel to arrive. Gabriel had always been the life of the family. He knew how to lighten the mood and cheer people up and make us laugh, so it's no surprise that everyone was excited for him to come home. 

But, instead, he walked in to find them both crying. 

When they saw him, they jumped up and ran over to him

"Oh thank god you're home, come on we have to go!" His dad said, ushering him back out the door.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Castiel asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach once they were in the car.

"It's Gabriel," Anna said quietly. "We got a call. He was on his way here, but some fucking idiot in a truck slammed into him. He's in the hospital now. We were waiting for you to get home before we left. It's bad, Castiel, it's really bad," Her voice broke at the end of her sentence. As the meaning of Anna's words sunk in, Castiel began crying silent tears as his body went numb. If he had had his phone with him today instead of leaving it at home, they could have called him instead of having to wait. The guilt weighed down on him as they drove to the hospital.

-

 

"We need to see my son! Where's my son?" His dad yelled as they ran into to hospital. They gave the receptionist Gabe's name and she directed them to his room in the emergency wing. 

-

After sitting in the waiting room for an hour while doctors tried to get Gabriel to stabilize and Castiel imagined the worst possible scenarios, they were finally allowed to go in his room. Anna and his father jumped up to go see him, but Castiel couldn't will himself to stand up. The thought of going in and seeing his brother in that state made his stomach lurch. He remained seated and stared towards the room that housed his broken brother.

"Castiel, you coming?" Anna asked him worriedly. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his stomach and gave Anna a small nod. He stood up shakily and slowly followed Anna into the hospital room. 

When he saw his brother laying on the bed, beat up and broken looking, it knocked the wind out of him. He started to reach out to touch his arm but quickly retracted it. A pit of fear began growing in his stomach as he looked around the room at all the tubes and machines Gabriel was hooked up to. Suddenly it was like all the air had been sucked out of the room by a vacuum because castiel couldn't breathe. He clutched the side of Gabriel's bed for support, gasping for breath. Finally, he turned to face Anna and his father.

"I- I need to go- I need to leave," Castiel fumbled for words as he made his way out of the room. Neither Anna nor his father tried to stop him as he ran out of the hospital. 

He ran until he couldn't breathe anymore. He ran until he felt dizzy. He ran until he was numb and couldn't feel the pain of seeing his brother like that anymore. He didn't know where he was going or how far he had ran. He just kept running.

He ran until there was a black Impala driving along side him.

 

Dean's P.O.V.

From the moment Castiel had shown up at his shop, Dean hadn't stopped thinking about him. Dean didn't know if it was his bright blue eyes that looked like they reflected the sky or his deep, gravelly voice that drew him in. Or maybe it was just his attitude. Dean liked the way Castiel had been all serious and no-nonsense. All he knew was that it was something because every time he thought of him he got this weird feeling in his stomach. Which wasn't like him. Dean didn't get attached. He picked someone up at a bar- girl or guy, didn't matter- took them home for the night, and then he got rid of them. 

He also didn't know what had possessed him to hug Castiel but at the time he was kinda glad he did it. The feeling of having him in his arms was different than when he held all the others. And the more he thought about it, the more he didn't like it. He didn't like how fast Castiel was having an affect on him. He had made a pact with himself not to talk to him anymore because first of all Castiel wasn't even interested in Dean. Second, Dean didn't get attached. Not ever. And that wasn't changing now. And third and most importantly: Castiel was way out of his league. Dean wasn't good for Castiel, he wasn't good for anybody. 

But when he saw Castiel running like his life depended on it and on the verge of passing out while he was driving home from Ellen and Jo's, he couldn't stop himself from doing exactly what he said he wouldn't do.

"Castiel!" He called out the window to the frantically running boy. "Cas!" He yelled louder. He didn't know where that nickname came from but he thought it fit. Dean yelled his name a few more times when, finally, Cas came to a stop and turned to look at him, his eyes wide and terrified.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about this chapter... Or this fic as a whole.  
> Please let me know what you think.  
> Thanks for reading :)

Castiel finally willed himself to stop and look at Dean. He could only imagine how awful he currently looked. He watched as Dean stared back at him and slowly pulled the Impala to the curb and got out. 

"Cas?" Dean asked hesitantly as he approached him. Castiel mentally questioned the nickname but admitted to himself that he kind of liked it. "Cas what's wrong?" Castiel looked between Dean and his car. Clearly he was going somewhere, probably home to go to bed. Castiel didn't want bother him, there was no reason for him to dump his problems on Dean when he probably had better things to do. Castiel finally raised his gaze to meet Dean's worried eyes.

"N-nothing. It's fine. I'm fine," he tried to reassure him. But even he could tell he didn't sound convincing. 

"Yeah. Right. Okay. Here's what's going to happen: you're going to get in the car, I'm gonna take you home, and you're going to tell me what's going on. Sound like a plan?" 

"Not home!" Castiel immediately protested. He couldn't go home. He would be alone there. Anna and his dad would most likely be staying at the hospital with Gabriel. And he didn't want to see the disappointment in their faces in Castiel for leaving the hospital when they did got home. He was ashamed of his weakness. He couldn't help his mother, but he could've stayed for Gabriel. Talked to him- even if he couldn't hear him, watched over him as Gabe had done on so many nights for Castiel when he was younger, anything. He should've stayed so he could be there when he woke up. But he didn't stay. He panicked and he ran, like usual. He wasn't brave and strong like Gabriel. He left and he couldn't bring himself to go back. 

Dean looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before saying,

"Fine. Then I'll bring you back to my place," Castiel stared for a second, slightly shocked that he would offer that.

"No, Dean, that won't be necessary. I can't invade like that. I-" Dean silenced Castiel's rambling by putting his hand on his shoulder.

"You're coming home with me for the night. You're going to tell me why your aimlessly running through the streets in the middle of the night, and I'm going to help you. So get your ass in the car," Dean said with a sense of finality to his voice. Castiel realized he wasn't taking no for an answer, so he guiltily dragged himself into the passenger seat of Dean's car, hating himself for being such an inconvenience. He should've just stayed at the hospital.

-

"Well, this is it. It's not much, probably a piece of crap compared to your house, but-" This time it was Castiel's turn to cut off the rambling as they pulled into the gravel driveway leading to a little wooden house that kind of resembled a worn out log cabin that had been standing here for one too many years. It looked like it could collapse at any moment, but Castiel loved it anyway because it was Dean's home. 

"It's fine Dean. I love it. And, anyway, my house is nothing fancy," Castiel saw a slight smile on his face, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. Dean hesitated for a moment and then shoved open the car door, so Castiel did the same. Dean led him up to the front door and gestured for him to enter. They stepped inside the small house together and Dean guided him to the living room. In it, sat a worn red carpet underneath a wooden coffee table which housed an array of newspapers and magazines and a half eaten sandwich. There was a small TV on a stand against the far wall with a worn out brown leather couch facing it. On the side of the room there was a recliner matching the couch. Dean strode over and took a seat in the recliner as Castiel sat himself down on the end of the couch. 

"So, Cas, time for you to talk," Dean said, staring intently at Castiel. Where did he begin? Because, this wasn't just about his brother, was it? No, Castiel knew that underneath his worry for Gabriel, it had something to do with his mom. And he wasn't ready to share that with someone he just met.

"Well, when I got- when I got home from Jo's..." Castiel paused and took a deep breath.

"It's okay, take your time, we've got all night," Dean said to him reassuringly. Castiel continuted.

"I got to my house expecting everyone to be waiting for Gabriel, my brother, to get home. But they weren't. They were sitting there crying. The rushed me back out the door and into the car. Then they told me we were going to the hospital. Because- because my brother was on his way home and he- he got hit by a truck. He's in a coma now." After repeating the story to Dean, he felt strangely numb. As he told it, he told it as facts. He didn't include how he felt like his world was crashing down around him because Gabriel was his closest family member and best friend. He didn't include how this was the second time he's been useless as his family died. He didn't include any of this because there was no reason to weigh down Dean with his problems. Castiel could carry the weight of them on his own, as he had already done for his whole life. 

Finally, he looked up to meet Dean's eyes. Instead of the pity that he was dreading to find, he saw understanding. Dean looked at him like he got it. Like he knew what Castiel was going through. For the first time since they met, Castiel questioned Dean's past, what he'd gone through. He had already inferred that Dean did not have it easy, that much was clear. But what else was lying behind that mask that "I don't give a crap" mask? 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said before, I'm not feeling very confident in this fanfic so please give feedback :)  
> Thanks for reading!

"Cas, look, I don't know what it's like to have your brother in that state. If Sammy- if he were to ever- I just can't imagine how you are feeling right now. But, here's what I do know, I'm here for you. If you want to talk about it, we can talk all night. If you'd rather just put in a movie or something and just try to get your mind off of it, I'll start going through my DVD collection. You just have to let me know," Castiel thought about Dean's words for a moment. He knew he would feel guilty later about trying to forget about Gabriel's current condition, but right now he needed a distraction.

"A movie would be great," he finally answered. Dean nodded and stood up to go look for a movie. As he went to the cabinet under the TV, Castiel made himself comfortable on one end of the couch and waited for him to join him. After a few minutes, Dean popped in a random Clint Eastwood movie that Castiel had never heard of and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.

As the movie went on, each of them stayed on their respective side, but Dean was constantly aware of Cas' presence. He couldn't even focus on one of his all time favorite movies because there was this attractive, smart, damaged boy sitting not 5 feet away from him.

Dean couldn't even imagine what Cas was going through right now. If Sammy were ever in that condition, Dean wouldn't be able to function. He thought back to the night he finally found the courage to take Sammy and leave their home and father. John had come home drunk again. Dean usually kept Sammy in his room when he heard their father storming in at one in the morning, angry and wasted. But that night, Dean had fallen asleep on the couch and Sammy had been up in his room playing video games. Dean woke up to the sound of Sammy's cries and john's shouting. He ran upstairs in time to place himself in front of what looked like the 4th blow John was aiming at Sam's head. Dean will never forget what sam looked like when he entered his room. His cheek was bruised and bloody and he looked so scared. Dean had failed to protect him for the first time in his life and he will never forgive himself for that. 

After his dad fell asleep that night, he gathered a sleeping Sammy up in his arms and they left. They stayed with their "uncle" Bobby for a few days, but after John showed up at his door demanding for his sons back, Bobby sent them to his friend Ellen's house where John wouldn't look for them. They grew up in Ellen's house with her and her daughter Jo.

"Hey, Dean, the movie's over," Cas mumbled sleepily, snapping Dean back to the present. He wasn't back at his God awful house with his father, he wasn't at the home where he had spent the happier part of childhood with Ellen and Jo, he was at his house. And even though his house was kind of crappy and lonely, right now he had Cas with him and that was good enough for Dean. 

"Already? Okay, well, you can take my bed. I'm just gonna set up the couch real quick and then I can get you anything you need before you go to sleep," Dean said, standing up and stretching. He knew his shirt came up a bit, revealing his stomach and he smiled to himself when he felt Cas' eyes being drawn to the sliver of skin above his jeans. He looked over in time to see him quickly advert his eyes down to the oh-so-interesting hardwood floor with a blush on his cheeks. He was glad to know that he had the same effect on Cas that Cas had on him. 

Castiel, not fully recovered from the embarrassment of being caught staring, guiltily watched as Dean was about to walk down the short hallway, presumably to get stuff for his night on the couch. He felt awful about taking over Dean's home and now his bed.

"Dean, I can't make you take the couch. This is your house and I've already invaded enough for one day," he said before Dean could turn the corner. The older man turned around to look at him. Castiel's breathe hitched in his throat at the intensity of Dean's gaze.

"Cas, you are not 'invading'. I saw you, and I chose to stop and help you. You didn't make me, I wanted to. I invited you back to my house, you didn't invite yourself. And now I'm telling you there is no way that I'm letting you sleep on the couch tonight. So, you are not invading, because I want you here." Castiel thought over Dean's words. He did have a point, Castiel didn't force him into any of this. But, he still couldn't let him sleep on the couch in his own home. He didn't know what made him say what slipped out of his mouth next, but as soon as he said it he wished he could take it back.

"Well, Dean, I mean... I still can't let you take the couch... So maybe we could just share the bed... Like each take a side... I don't know it's just an idea..." Castiel cringed at his own words after they came out and awaited Dean's freaked out response. 

"Yeah, that could, uh, that could work. Okay," Castiel stood there shocked. Had Dean just agreed to share a bed with him? They'd only known each other for a day. 

"Okay... Well, let's go then, I'm exhausted," He said hesitantly, waiting for Dean to lead the way. Dean nodded and started walking towards his room.

~

Dean tried to control his heart rate as he led Cas to his room. He couldn't believe Cas had actually said those words. It felt like the greatest moment of his life. As he and Cas entered his room, he sat down on his side of the bed and began taking his shoes off.

"Cas if you want you can borrow a t-shirt and sweatpants to sleep in," he offered, secretly hoping Cas would say he usually slept in his boxers.

"Uh, yeah that'd be great thanks," No luck. Disappointed, he got up and walked over to his dresser to pull some stuff out for him. 

After Cas went into the bathroom to get changed, Dean stripped down to his boxers. It wasn't like he was doing that specifically because Cas was here, that was how he always slept. But it didn't change the fact that he was excited to share a bed with Cas while only wearing his underwear.

What was wrong with him? He'd only met the guy this morning. Seriously he needed to calm himself down. He wasn't the type to settle down. It wasn't the gay thing, everyone had known he was bi for a while now. But he was the dump and go kind. Never stay with one person. So how come when Cas walked back in wearing his clothes, it got hard for Dean to breathe?

Dean could feel Cas' blue eyes burning into his chest as he pulled back the comforter so they could get in bed. They both crawled in and pulled the blankets up to their chests.

Somehow, after hours of thinking about Cas lying right next to him and imaging reaching over and wrapping him up in his arms, feeling Cas pressed against his bare chest and feeling his deep breathing as he slept soundly in his bed, Dean managed to fall asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I don't know how I feel about this story. If it sucks, please let me know so I can stop inflicting my terrible writing upon the world.  
> Comments and criticism are appreciated :)  
> Thanks for reading

For the past 10 years, after things with Lisa ended, Dean had grown used to waking up in an empty bed. But, the next morning, he woke up with a brunette head nuzzled against his shoulder. He smiled to himself. At some point last night, Cas must've rolled closer to him which, Dean had to admit, made him really happy. He laid there and enjoyed the feeling of the high school boy snuggled up against him. He could feel Cas' steady breathing as his back pressed against his bare chest. 

12 years ago Dean met Lisa Braeden. They had two wonderful years of laughs, home cooked meals, and some really good sex. But then things kind of crashed and burned. For years after, Dean drank his way through his problems and, since Lisa kicked him out, sleeping on the Harvelle's couch. He was a high school drop out who couldn't hold a job because he came in hung over everyday,

Finally, after 4 years of the same old routine: going to whatever pathetic useless job he had at the time, going to the bar and getting completely wasted, going to work the next day with a raging headache, and getting fired; Jo gently persuaded him to get his life together. And "gentle persuasion" means that she beat his ass until he agreed to stop drinking and get a decent and more permanent job. That's when he started going to AA meetings, getting sober, and looking for a real job so he could stop being such a burden to Ellen and Jo. 

Unfortunately, he had apparently exhausted all possible jobs in the area during the drunk years. He would always remember what Bobby had told him when he went to him seeking help. He said to Dean,

"Listen here, ya idjit, it's not that complicated. You find something you're good at, something you enjoy, and something that gives you satisfaction, and you go after it. You chase that one thing until you've got where you wanted to go. You can't go wrong if you do that. Now pass me a beer, would ya."

Dean thought about what Bobby told him for a while. He had always enjoyed fixing up the impala. Even when he was around 10, he was always fixing up the car for his father when John was too drunk to do it himself (which was always). So, Dean decided to open up his own auto repair shop not too far from the Harvelle's house. Business started off slow but eventually picked up a bit. 

Soon after he opened his shop, Sammy mentioned he wanted to go to Standford's law school. Dean made it his mission from then on our to put his little brother through college using the money he earned. That became his priority above all else. 

"Dean?" A sleepy voice mumbled next to him. Soft hair brushed against him, sending tingles up his arm. 

"Mornin' Cas," Dean whispered. He felt Cas jump back a little at the sound of Dean's voice being so close. 

"Dean, I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your space like that- I didn't realize that I did. I'm really sorry," Cas rambled, looking rather embarrassed. 

"Cas, shut up. I really don't mind," Dean added the last part quietly. Cas closed his mouth. 

"Oh, well, okay then," he said awkwardly, pulling back the covers and standing up. Dean followed suit. He stood up and turned to face a messy-haired Cas. He found the younger man staring at him with a blush creeping on to his cheeks. That's when Dean remembered he was standing there in only his boxers. He smirked and raised his arms above his head, stretching. He knew his abs were accentuated and he knew that Cas was trying (and failing) not to stare intently at his bare stomach. He could feel those blue eyes piercing into his skin. Those fucking blue eyes that drew Dean in the moment he first saw Cas in his shop. Figuring that he had tortured the poor guy enough, he dropped his arms back down and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a white t-shirt, a plaid shirt, and some old jeans for himself and tucked them under his arm. Then, he rummaged around for a moment before pulling out a black AC/DC shirt and jeans that looked like they would fit Cas and tossing them on the bed. 

"You can get dressed in here, I'll take the bathroom," Dean said. Cas nodded and hesitantly picked up the clothes Dean had selected. 

As Dean got dressed, all he could think about was that Cas was probably standing in just his boxers right on the other side of the door.

And it made his heart pound.

~

"Alright Cas, where to?" Dean asked him as they sat in the Impala. After they had gotten changed, they had some breakfast and then Dean offered to drive him wherever he needed to go. Castiel figured Dean has finally had enough of him, which he totally understood. But still, he felt a low ache in his chest knowing that he had worn out his welcome at one of the only places he wanted to be right now. He couldn't go back home. If Anna and his dad were home, he wasn't ready to face them yet. And if they weren't, he couldn't go sit in an empty home. The thought of sitting in a silent, empty house for hours, left to sit and realize that this was probably how those around him preferred it, for Castiel to be on his own and leave everyone alone, was enough to make his stomach churn. There was no way he could go back to the hospital right now and see Gabe like that. The thought terrified him.

"Can you take me to Ellen and Jo?" He asked quietly, tugging at the sleeves of his trench coat. As soon as Dean had pulled out a t-shirt for him to wear, he had panicked for a moment before remembering he had his coat. He couldn't even remember the last time he had worn short sleeves. He was probably around 10 or 11.

"Yeah, sure," Dean responded. The impala roared to life and then they were off.

It felt kind of good, just the two of them. Dean's hands on the wheel, a pleasant smile on his face. Castiel sitting on the passenger side, staring out the window as the trees passed by. It felt kind of right, like they belonged like this. But Castiel knew this was only temporary. They would pull up to the Harvelle's, say their goodbyes, he would get out, and that would be the end. One night of memories for him to hold on then and they would both go back to their separate lives.

As the house came into view, Castiel's stomach dropped. He desperately didn't want this to be the end, but he knew better than to expect anything different.


End file.
